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I have a filly that just officially turned 2 in June and she had her first heat cycle the beginning of the month of June. She was accidentally covered by my young stud just once that I saw,(I didn't know she was in heat until I saw him breeding her) and I immediately removed her from the pasture. She has not shown signs of heat since and it has been over 30 days. So, what I'm wondering is: Do fillies cycle regularly after their first heat or is it less regular until they are older? I do intend to have her checked for pregnancy, but for now, I just need to know whether or not she should be having regular cycles.

Sandy

Posted on Friday, July 25, 2003 - 01:20 pm:

I know someone out there must have an idea of when normal cycles begin in a filly. I am still waiting for someone to give me some kind of an idea.

Anonymous

Posted on Monday, July 28, 2003 - 11:26 am:

I believe that most horses go through adolescence from 12 - 15 mos. I have however heard of filly's getting pregnant as early as 10 - 11 mos. and some not starting to cycle until they are close to 18 mos.

Sandy

Posted on Monday, July 28, 2003 - 05:18 pm:

But my question is: After a 24mo. old filly does begin cycling, are the cycles regular after the first one? Or are they more sporadic?

kho_magic

Posted on Tuesday, July 29, 2003 - 07:33 pm:

Sandy, this is exactly why fillies and colts need to be in separate pens after weaning. I remember my now 10 year old mare's first cycle being when she was about 14 months old. They can and do get in foal when they are two and the ones you don't want in foal usually are the ones who end up that way. I would suggest you have her checked so that if she is in foal you can decide what to do about it she is pretty young at two to be expected (mentally) to be a mom when she is three.

Sandy

Posted on Wednesday, July 30, 2003 - 03:25 pm:

Yes, believe me, I know that fillies can and do get in foal at 24 mos. This was this filly's very first heat cycle ever, so that's why I was wondering if her cycles would be every 20 days or so after the VERY FIRST heat cycle? Or does it take a couple of months after their first heat cycle to beging cycling on a regular basis?

Anonymous

Posted on Thursday, July 31, 2003 - 09:50 am:

Sorry, I can't help you there. When my youngest filly started cycling, she was like clockwork, but that doesn't mean all fillies are that way. If you can relate horses to humans, then I'd say yes it's possible for them to have erratic cycles. But in all honesty, I don't know for sure. Sorry.

Anonymous Posted From: 216.255.51.32

Posted on Wednesday, March 24, 2004 - 12:28 pm:

It only takes once. Your filly sounds pregnant.

Sandy Posted From: 67.31.169.88

Posted on Wednesday, March 24, 2004 - 04:53 pm:

Well, it turns out that the filly did not get pregnant! Thank goodness. So, now that she is a 3 year old this year, she will be bred. I do have to say though, that I never did see her come into heat again all through last year after that first cycle. And I haven't seen her come into heat yet this year either. But, she is a miniature horse, and if she were pregnant, I think I'd know it by now, considering she would be due in about 6 weeks. I tried to have her palped last year to find out for sure, but the vet said that she was just too small and couldn't do it.

i'm a newbie here..........saw your post on a filly cycling. i have a coming 2 yr old (july 2004) friesian/tb filly who my trainer is telling me to breed now. she claims that in germany they breed the 2 yr old warmbloods all the time. i only have experience breeding my mare who was 9 for her first foal and then 13 for her second. i'd appreciate any info provided as this sounds too young to me to breed a filly.- cindy

Sandy Posted From: 4.227.133.166

Posted on Wednesday, June 16, 2004 - 05:17 pm:

Cindy, Yes, there are definitely a lot of breeders who will tell you that there is nothing wrong with breeding a filly at the age of 2. I personally do not breed them until they are at least 3. You have to remember that at 2 years, they are still developing and growing. To get them pregnant at that age can hurt their own development, plus I don't think they're mentally ready for it either. I think at 2yrs. is when you should be training your horse for riding. Get a good year's worth of training and riding on them, then worry about breeding them after that. Unless of course you just want your filly to be a brood mare and have no intentions of ever having her trained to saddle. But even then, I wouldn't breed until at least the age of 3. I guess you could kind of compare it to human females. Yes, they are capable of becoming pregnant at say 11 or 12, but would you want them to? Are their bodies and minds ready for that? I think it's the same for a horse. I would tell your trainer to just worry about actually training your horse instead of worrying about you getting her bred right now. If you think your horse is too young, then you should do what you feel is right by your horse, not what someone else is telling you they do in Germany!

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